Deion Sanders Drops Major Hint on Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft Future

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 5:03 PM ET

Throughout the run-up to the 2025 NFL draft, as Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders established himself as arguably the best prospect under center in this draft, the lingering question has been whether his father, Deion Sanders, would interfere on Shedeur's behalf.

Deion Sanders has been clear that he would pull an "Eli," as in Manning, if he felt that a team planning on taking Shedeur was not serious about winning.

He said in September: "You don’t really get to dictate where your son gets to go because there’s a draft process, but you know us, you know how we are. We know who ain’t trying to win in the NFL, you know who’s consistently in the basement year after year. You don’t want that situation for your kid or your family members."

But as things have unfolded, it has become clear that there don't seem to be many teams that the Sanders clan would block from picking Shedeur.

Certainly, a team in one of the worst situations in the league--the Browns, who are committed to a fully guaranteed contract to injured quarterback Deshaun Watson and coming off a 3-14 season--would seem to be a non-starter for Sanders. But with the second pick in the draft, Cleveland could well find itself picking between Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward.

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On Wednesday, days after the Browns met with Shedeur at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry said he did not anticipate a problem from the family if the Browns wanted to pick Shedeur.

On Thursday, Deion Sanders seemed to confirm that, as he liked an Instagram post from the Browns fan site @NFLClevelandBrowns which noted, among other things, "GM Andrew Berry said today that he 'doesn’t anticipate' Deion Sanders will have any issue with the Browns drafting Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick."

The post also noted that the Browns had not told Shedeur Sanders to sit out practices for the Shrine Bowl, and that he had impressed teams with his, "IQ and sense of humor."

It's possible that it was that aspect of the post that Deion Sanders was liking--but, at this point, things look good for the Browns if Sanders is, indeed, their man.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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